Other vendors that offer competing SAN extension products include Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO), McData Corp. (Nasdaq: MCDTA) -- which recently completed its acquisition of IP storage startup Nishan Systems -- and LightSand Communications Corp. (see Cisco Implants IP in SANs, McData Speeds Out IP Switch, and LightSand Buys SANcastle).
But unlike McData, which has decided to standardize with Internet Fibre Channel Protocol (iFCP), CNT says it's sticking with the more widely supported FCIP spec (see McData Sticking With iFCP).
CNT is using the F-port state change management specification in the Fibre Channel spec, which handles point-to-point connections, to provide application fault isolation in conjunction with FCIP. This feature allows device failures in a given Fibre Channel domain to be isolated, rather than propagated across a WAN link. McData offers this capability through the iFCP standard, and LightSand uses a similar technology called AR/DAT (autonomous region/domain address translation).
Larsen argues that McData is standing alone in its use of iFCP, while the rest of the industry is backing FCIP. "We're dispelling the fallacy that FCIP is not a good protocol to use," he says, adding: "Why would Cisco support it if they weren't sure it was going to be the industry standard?"
The UltraNet Edge 3000 is priced starting at $28,000 for a two-port device. CNT says Japanese carrier NTT Communications Corp. has deployed the router to offer a managed "WIDE SAN" service to its customers.
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